Sarah Palin Sneak Preview: The Agony of The Undefeated

There was an advance screening last night of The Undefeated, the new film by Stephen K. Bannon that traces the rise of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin from her early years as mayor of Wasilla to John McCain's 2008 Vice-Presidential candidate to her new status as Tea Party darling.

The event was sparsely attended (I'd charitably put the audience at 50 people), owing perhaps to the fact that the e-mail announcement went out at 10 a.m. the morning of, and that the Gulf Pointe AMC, where the movie played, is in an area of town that's probably not home to a great many Republican supporters.

So what was the point? To grease the skids for Palin's 2012 Presidential run? To set the record straight on her tenure as governor of the 49th state? Or to give a big middle finger to all the haters and naysayers who seek to derail her political ambitions?

Hell, why not all three?

Is Palin running in 2012? With a national bus tour and The Undefeated coming out (in select cities) in a couple weeks, a presidential campaign would seem inevitable. The film itself provides no answers, ending simply with footage of the maybe candidate addressing a Wisconsin Tea Party rally last winter.

And while Palin's effect on politics has been galvanic, newcomer Michele Bachmann is gaining in Republican polls and seems to have seized the TP banner for herself. She's even gotten a jump on her competition by being the first to have a famous musician demand that she stop using his music as a campaign soundtrack (Palin could get a lot of press by playing "Rockin' in the Free World").

[Just to get it out of the way, I have no idea why this movie is called "The Undefeated" when Palin was beaten in the 2008 election. The intimation seems to be that she wasn't the one who lost, since McCain was toplining the ticket. Whatever.]

As far as the movie goes, it's about what you'd expect. For better or worse. The version we saw wasn't the finished cut, and so was grainy and had some audio issues, but Bannon attempts to make good on his pledge to put an end to the image of "Caribou Barbie." The bulk of The Undefeated concentrates on Palin's tenure as mayor of Wasilla and governor of Alaska, where we're constantly reminded she bucked the corrupt old guard Republican establishment and played hard ball with the oil companies. (Her political awakening, we're told, began with the wreck of the Exxon Valdez.)

It's an interesting approach, I admit. The details of her (brief) governorship are probably unclear to many, and it may surprise them to realize her 80 percent-plus approval rating was well-earned. Palin enacted ethics reform, took on Big Oil and cut state spending (arguably at the expense of public works). Watching this, one can't help wonder why the McCain camp didn't concentrate more on this.

I could see a lot of people who loathe Palin come away from The Undefeated grudgingly admitting she must have done some things right in Alaska (a state with a population less than that of Austin, sure, but still). That is, if they can wade through the nonstop imagery of martydom: lions feasting on innocent zebras, a knight felled by one of countless arrows (fired by the leftist media, no doubt), a woman's corpse getting dirt thrown in its face. No shit.

It's also difficult to reconcile her alleged toughness with the aura of victimhood that hangs over the section devoted to the 2008 campaign. Listening to Andrew Breitbart and other conservative figures complain about her "unfair" treatment by the media while footage of attack dogs unspools onscreen would be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic. Breitbart calls Republican males who failed to come to her defense "eunuchs." Make up your mind, people: Is she a tough-as-nails "Mama Grizzly" or is she a fragile female who needs men to stick up for her? Because that would appear to play right into the hands of those questioning her fitness for the Presidency.

Then again, when your most vociferous defender is Andrew Breitbart, you've got a whole different set of problems.

What's more puzzling, from someone seeking the GOP's nomination, is how often the wagging finger of blame points to Republican leadership like Senator Mitch McConnell, Speaker John Boehner and even former President George W. Bush (obliquely blamed for allowing the economic crash that torpedoed the McCain-Palin campaign). It's in keeping with her image as an outsider, but unless she's planning on running as a third-party candidate, it's hard to see how alienating the GOP (and the oil companies) is going to help her cause.

Finally, just as you're growing weary of being hectored for not having balls, we see Palin's rebirth as champion of the Tea Party (you remember the Tea Party, they're the people who conveniently developed outrage over federal spending after the Republicans lost the election). Palin is apparently hoping to leverage her reformer image to use TP support as a viable contrast to "establishment" Republicans like Mitt Romney. However, in the interim between the film's wrap and now, Bachmann and Herman Cain have been stealing a lot of that thunder. There was almost a whiff of desperation in the publicist's plea with us last night to promote the film online and through social media. For while there's every possibility Palin is timing the announcement of her candidacy to coincide with The Undefeated hitting theaters July 15, it's hard to shake the feeling that ship may have already sailed.

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The Palin-lovers have NOTHING so they must reach for anything!! Bashing our president is all they have. It doesn't make sense. I hope she runs for president so Obama can win again hands down! Aas far as the GOP candidates for 2012, Stephen Colbert said it best "None of the Above" is the best GOP candidate out there!! The Republicans must be crapping their pants. Is this why they are showing us with the actions that they do not give a damn about the American people (unless they are RICH contributors or corporation contributors) and they are fine with throwing America under the bus for the TRUE goal: making President Obama a one term president. The only problem I have with our president is the way he bends to the Republican dominated House of Representatives. He is trying to be bi-partisan which is a refreshing change. But, we can see by some of the comments below that they will not compromise, so why bother?

I paid $32.67 for a XBOX 360 and my mom got a 17 inch Toshiba laptop for $94.83 being delivered to our house tomorrow by FedEX. I will never again pay expensive retail prices at stores. I even sold a 46 inch HDTV to my boss for $650 and it only cost me $52.78 to get. Here is the website we using to get all this stuff, LiveCent.com

I believe it's called "The Undefeated" to drum in the inspirational message that even though she was soundly trounced and ended up crawling away from her day job to hatch a reality show that failed, she doesn't feel that she has failed. Or something stupid like that. I'm just glad that the rightwingers have someone vapid and without morality to lead them. This grifter from Alaska has no desire to actually do anything except soak up attention.

I’m not much of a Sarah Palin fan, but then again I’m notmuch of a fan of our community-organizer-in chief either. I do find it fascinating the hatred and vitrioldisplayed towards her. I haven’t seenanything like this since WalMart announced they were building a store in theHeights.

Can You be Undefeated if you Lose and Quit??? I'm just wondering. Governor of a state with less People than Indianapolis, In. Hmm... Lets be serious, she is not walking away from all this free money she's getting. A failed Presidential Campaign or Even worse being elected President and being exposed for what she is. Oh hell no, She's doing the right thing, turning her 15 minutes of fame into a half hour show and making all the money she can make.

Hell, Palin is almost irrelevant now that Bachman eclipsed her a while a back. Palin should take a lesson from Bachman: you don't have to run and hide from the media, even if you are poorly informed. It would be a very entertaining summer if Palin and Bachman both started speaking off the cuff, the way most candidates do.

NorCon 48 minutes ago O/T: Did some of you catch me and Jean_A standing back to back shooting down zoombies, trigtruthers, slugs and trolls of various sizes at Houstonpress.com?Once again, you're quite delusional. You and Jean got your slimy butts kicked and then ran away crying. If you and Jean want to come back, we'll be happy to do it again. Your lies at the Cee of Pee are as bad as Sarah's lies. All of you are pathological liars.

One comment on this thread did stick out to me: Facts are stubborn things. And the people will not be fooled again. Since many are discussing the upcoming Presidential election, a debt increase of 35% since President Obama took office, a $831 Billion failed stimulus package and 1.7 million lost jobs is a good reason to fight for real change in America. God Bless America always.

To begin with, if you couldn't figure out what was meant by the title, there's a very good chance you won't clearly review the film. It isn't about a won-lost record in elections or any contest evaluation. It's about carrying on no matter what comes at you. I know that could be hard to pick up from the cynical perspective of assuming the OTHER side to be cynical.

Goldman was the largest single contributor to Obama, he was the largest recipient of funds,Dodd who was put on the Senate Banking Committee by Cassano's contributions, the man whose maneuvers at AIG helped 'crack' the entire global financial structure, a friend of Angelo, who even arranged for a cottage for him in Iceland, who skated on the whole financial collapse,as a result, GSE's are not in the charter of Dodd FRank. As for Frank, he forestalled any criticism of Fannie and Freddie's financial shortfalls, by insinuating racism,

Yes, rely on the one character, who was actually fined by the state of Alaska, and forced to undergo ethics training, or someone so vile he was kicked off the Huffington Post for his trigdenialism, that Geoffrey Dunn,

Palin, everyone in Alaska in general agrees, did help push through ethics reform as governor. But the references to "energy security'' and "privatizing businesses" are head-scratchers. Why? Because in Alaska, the government owns:-The only railroad, the Alaska Railroad.-The only spaceport, the Kodiak Launch Complex. (I bet most of America didn't even known Alaska had a spaceport.)-One of the biggest investment banks, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.-The marketing organization for the state's huge seafood industry, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.-The only major university, the University of Alaska.

And more. The state would own the oil industry if it could.But in America, unlike in Saudi Arabia, a government takeover of that business isn't possible. So, under Palin, the state simply taxed the oil industry to the limit. And why did the state tax the oil industry to the limit? So Alaskans wouldn't need to pay any state personal income or sales taxes, and so the government could actually give them money instead. Every Alaskan -- rich or poor, newborn infant or doddering old fool -- gets an annual check (usually more than $1,000 and up to $3,269 in 2008, which included an energy rebate that year) from the government. It is called a Permanent Fund dividend, and it is what Alaskans consider their "fair share'' of Alaska's oil, though most Alaskans did absolutely nothing to produce this oil.

Palin herself called the new tax she imposed on the oil industry Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share, or ACES. It netted the state billions in "surplus" revenues at a time of stratospheric oil prices.Under Palin, when Alaska was imposing these big, new taxes on the oil industry in 2008, U.S. Congress was refusing to follow suit.The reason, according to those who opposed new oil taxes in Washington, D.C., was that the increases would discourage the search for new oil and threaten "energy security'' -- the same energy security Palin now says she "worked so hard'' to ensure for somebody.

She didn't cut spending in either Wasilla (as Mayor) or as Governor. She left both in debt and legal entanglements that haven't been resolved to date. Those in the know, not in the propaganda displayed, know that she was an unmitigated failure and quitter in both jobs. No one can see this film and think she was good for Alaska, except the die hard, blind & adoring RWNJs.

The rest of us know better and anyone doing their research can discover the same. It's not even something you have to dig very hard to find all her misteps, mismanagement, vindictive actions against even her mildest critics. Read her very own right hand ax man's account of her governing by Frank Bailey in his book BLIND ALLEGIANCE. and the excellent Geoffrey Dunn's book on Sarah Palin's lies. Both books are well documented and the facts within can not be disputed. Bailey's book in particular is based on Sarah Palin's own emails (he has 60,000) and in her and Todd's own words.

As for ethics? They're fine for other people, unless they work for the Palins, but Sarah has no ethics except: "I can do anything I want until the courts tell me I can't." A direct quote from Sarah while in the Mayor's office.

This film is nothing more than a two hour commercial for Sarah and is as true as most Republican commercials are - NOT.

I managed to transcribe the speech she gave after the screening in Iowa, which someone recorded on their cellphone and posted to the internet. Unfortunately, the audience member didn't catch the beginning - only the last 7 minutes and 21 seconds. Palin gave this speech almost literally without taking a breath, which has got to be some kind of record (one hopes not a trend to be followed by others). Is this what we can expect if she runs?

…for America, so our state would be a contributor to the rest of the U.S. instead of a taker from the U.S. because we have the energy up there that we can be producing that we can supply to allow all of us energy independence energy security. We worked so hard on that and we worked so hard on ethics reform, we worked hard on cutting budgets on vetoing the largest amounts of money in our state’s history - all those things that the lamestream media completely ignores and wants to dismiss and yet that set a foundation for what our administration was going to be all about so it’s very humbling to know that someone would put in such effort into documenting what our team was able to accomplish and it was a pretty simple agenda, it was all about smaller, smarter government putting the faith and the power back into the people of our state and of course that needs to be transitioned into our nation where the people of this country are empowered again and individual rights and freedoms and responsibilities are once again embraced by Americans and that will bring us back to the exceptional place that America should be. But humbling to know that someone has put such effort into documenting my team’s efforts but even more than that at the same time as acknowledging what this has documented for me personally. It’s just that the realization that it’s not about me, the movie’s not about me, it’s about America’s values, it’s about work ethic that you here in Iowa you all embrace that work ethic. This film really illustrates a person’s a people’s desire to be involved in the greatest government in our world’s history, wanting to be involved for the right reasons here in America where we are exceptional, our founding documents, our charters of liberty created a blueprint that would allow us towards more perfect of a union if we would just follow this blueprint so people wanting to be involved in a democratic process within our republic and all of you wanting to be involved for the right reasons, that…that’s what this film illustrates. Got into politics for the right reasons twenty years ago – stayed in politics, put up with what the media does to all of us for the right reasons, and it’s to protect our Constitution and it’s to protect the opportunities that we have here in America that have made us so exceptional and can continue to allow us to be an exceptional nation, and we don’t need anybody to “transform” America into anything else, we need to restore all that is good and pure about America. So what some of us to be about this film is how that is illustrated, not Sarah Palin, not even my record, but the values that are embraced held by so many good, patriotic, hard-working Americans who understand freedom, who understand how important it is to fight for freedom, for the opportunities that God has given us here. We’re not gonna squander it, we’re not gonna blow it, we’re gonna do – yeah – we’re gonna go down fighting, we’ll go down, yeah! What this film shows is that in America anyone can make a difference, you don’t need a title, you don’t need a political position. Anyone can make a difference, be willing to be involved and to sacrifice much, to sacrifice reputation, to sacrifice time of leisure (LEEE-sure) and perhaps other things that you would love to be able to do but instead, you’re gonna put your efforts into doing what’s right for other people providing great opportunities for other people that provides hope for other people and that’s what this country needs is not the hopey-changey stuff that you heard the guy a few years ago but real hope. And you know where real hope comes from? Real hope comes from…realizing what it is that God has blessed this country with. Realizing that He has shed his grace on thee, realizing that He has provided this country and then doin’ somethin’ about it. What He has provided America, we have the natural resources, we have the farmlands, we have the oil, we have the natural gas and the coal, we have the resources to be self-sufficient. We don’t have to rely on Saudi (soddy) Arabia or Venezuela or any of these other foreign countries to produce for America. We don’t have to be subsidizing drilling in Brazil. We have to just our government has to get out of the way and let our private sector do what it does best in responsibly developing our natural resources and then creating jobs our government needs to back off, let the private sector our job creators grow more jobs by keeping more of what we earn so we can prioritize and re-invest according to our own priorities. What God provided us with natural resources with ingenuity with land mass here in America, with our founding documents that are based on Judeo-Christian beliefs, based on time-tested truths. It’s really quite a simple solution if you consider what the problems are facing America if we could just get back to that responsible development of natural resources, of letting our job creators do what they do best and of getting back to those Judeo-Christian principles that our founding documents are drafted upon. Those three relatively simple things to do will get America back on the right course. It’s an honor to get to be with all of you today for Todd and for me and for my friends to get to be with you all today in a place that gets it. You guys understand that work ethic that patriotism – those wonderful things about America that maybe some others in the land, certainly in our national government need to understand a bit more of you can help ‘em share that message. Hopefully this film will help share that message not about me but about the values of America that make us exceptional and if we continue to embrace those values and live ‘em out America forever being THE light the beacon of hope for other countries looking to see what it is that they can emulate to ultimately create a more prosperous, healthy and peaceful world. American can be that light again – an exceptional, exceptional place and it’s people like you who can do it, so thank you all so much for being here tonight. God bless you all.

Like Obama who golfs, and flies and attends dinners, while oil platforms collapse, jobs disappear, as a result of his moratorium and Dodd/Frank, that's the definition of a grifter,in my book, Trillions spent, on no real infrastructure, or jobs, buying up car companiesand then having them go into bankruptcy. While 'electricity prices necessarily skyrocket'as he promised in the campaign, first by attempting cap and trade, now through EPA regulations. selling out the people in Iran and now Syria, while engaging in some ridiculouseffort in Libya.

Believe it or not, Bachmann has a law degree from somewhere and has served a short time in national office. That said, that either she or Palin could be considered a real candidate for the Presidency is a slight to those women of real learning who preceded them onto the political stage both here in the states and abroad. Why do we have to set the bar for ridicule in the world? First Reagan, then W, now these female clowns...

Palin's supporters cannot seem to face the truth, and I don't understand why. She has such a tremendous amount of "baggage," her family is so dysfunctional, and people have even begun asking just where little Trig is and how he is doing. He seems to be "left out" now - he was certainly not on the "family vacation" bus tour, nor was he in the MOA during the joint mother-daughter book signings. Little Tripp was there, so why wasn't Trig? It becomes so appalling already - so many games, and no honest answers.

People in Alaska know just exactly what Palin is really all about, yet many people throughout America still seem to be deceived by her and think she is this great Christian lady, who lives this perfect life with high morals. Sad to say, they probably wouldn't even begin to believe what the real truth is. Of course people who get on these sites and dare to criticize Palin are labeled as hat8rs, stalkers, etc. - all in an attempt to try to divert and distract and confuse and manipulate good, decent people who could not even begin to comprehend how she could be using these petty, schoolgirl tactics. People will continue to contribute to her PAC; however, I think it's time for Palin to come out and finally declare whether or not she will run for POTUS.

What you describe sounds more like undaunted than undefeated. Undefeated means that you haven't lost, and Palin not only lost in 2008, but in 2002 when she unsuccessfully ran for Lt Governor of Alaska. Since she quit the governorship of Alaska, whining about "attacks" it would seem that she can't carry on no matter what. So even undaunted doesn't fit.

But the references to "energy security'' and "privatizing businesses" are head-scratchers. Why? Because in Alaska, the government owns:-The only railroad, the Alaska Railroad-The only spaceport, the Kodiak Launch Complex. (I bet most of America didn't even known Alaska had a spaceport)-One of the biggest investment banks, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.-The marketing organization for the state's huge seafood industry, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.-The only major university, the University of Alaska.

And more. The state would own the oil industry if it could.But in America, unlike in Saudi Arabia, a government takeover of that business isn't possible. So, under Palin, the state simply taxed the oil industry to the limit. And why did the state tax the oil industry to the limit? So Alaskans wouldn't need to pay any state personal income or sales taxes, and so the government could actually give them money instead. Every Alaskan -- rich or poor, newborn infant or doddering old fool -- gets an annual check (usually more than $1,000 and up to $3,269 in 2008, which included an energy rebate that year - a giveaway by the Palin administration) from the government. It is called a Permanent Fund dividend, and it is what Alaskans consider their "fair share'' of Alaska's oil, though most Alaskans did absolutely nothing to produce this oil.

There is so much wrong in that statement I don't even know where to start.Oil platforms collapse? How does that have anything to do with the President? Oh, it doesn't you just needed to be hateful.So you think Dodd Frank is bad because ......oh I know because we don't need any regulations on the very criminals that have raped, robbed and plundered this country.Did you hear the Auto loans were a HUGE success. Money paid back, millions, yes millions of jobs SAVED and the United States is still building cars.Electricity prices will continue to skyrocket. You republicans don't believe in rebuilding our infrastructure and we have one of the oldest, least efficient power grid systems in the world, like a third world country. EPA regulations have only become a dirty word since the Koch brothers and their billions have pumped their propaganda into the nation. Before that even republicans thought having Love Canals and air you could see and water that will flame isn't a good idea. Yes, Libya, no boots on the ground, probably saved 700,000 innocent people against Reagan's Mad Dog, remember even he bombed him, a man that has actually killed Americans too.

The Tea Party candidates will end up splitting the vote, and Romney will win. Just watch as Rick Perry, the male Michelle Bachmann gets into the race late, and there is a fight among the slugos of the Tea Party. Even Pawlenty caved to Tea Party positions in the debates, and he'll go down as well.

This discussion is not about President Obama or any other legitimate politician. It's about a wannabe politician who's known for being a pathological liar. Keep sending her your money, you dumb old fool.

Auto Union bailouts. False. The money has not been repaid. The gov't has already written off 10's of billions in loans. The auto companies then borrowed more gov't moneyto pay off some of the loans. This money will never be repaid. And they screwed over the shareholders and bondholders of GM and Chrysler to cover the pensions of their cronies in the unions....the very people who helped create the problems for GM and Chrysler.

Electricity prices will sky rocket because OweBama has declared war on "old energy". Much of the electricty in the US is produced by coal burning plants. OweBama himself said his policies would cause prices to skyrocket. Meanwhile e dump billions into "green" technology that can't even pay for itself over the long haul.

Nixon a republican created the EPA. It has since stepped out of it's mandate and is crippling investment in this country. There is a balance. The whole meme that republicans don't care about the environment is stupid at best.

Libya...finally a war a liberal could love. Now imagine if Bush had gone to war without congress approval. But you'd have your code stink t-shirt on and would be out protesting ...right?

Maybe you should start watching Fox News...you clearly are without a clue.

The bots seem awfully upset, and are getting nastier and attacking other posters who are just trying to point out the truth. As much as they can try to spin, the TRUTH is out there, even if they refuse to recognize it. Actually, it's all pretty sad as it must be awfully difficult to finally face the fact when people have deceived you and "used" you. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks, and if Sarah will really care about her supporters and do the right thing.

Yes, we have noticed that - LOL!! They might try to distract and divert, and are masters of spin; however, too many people out there are finally beginning to wake up and realize Palin is not presidential, and does not have any answers for moving America forward. Palin is all about trying to manipulate people, and using "mean girl" tactics. The majority of voters are no longer in high school.

WOW, you are dumb. It is COMICAL how you right-wingers lap up the pure corporate propaganda of Faux Noise and pretend you're somehow ~subversive~ or ~new and different~ for spewing the same tired talking points. Read. Step outside your narrow worldview. Do some traveling. What a moron.

http://www.politicususa.com/en...Your hero Rupert Murdoch runs a fine organization ~ NOT. Aren't you proud of him now?"Nine journalists and three police officers are facing jail over corruption charges so far." There is nothing rogue about that! It is systemic!!!

Your hero Rupert Murdock runs such a fine organization ~ NOT. Aren't you proud of him now????http://www.politicususa.com/en..."Nine journalists and three police officers are facing jail over corruption charges so far." There is nothing rogue about that! It is systemic!!!